Do you have a holiday home in the UK? Tell me about it. :)
Discussion
A 9 hr trip would be enough to limit use to sometime never!
I'm trying to keep it to a 2 hr trip max. Enough not to be daunted by at the end of long week.
As has been said keep it simple and reduce reasons why it wouldn't get used.
I keep trying but renting someone elses still makes more sense, even though I'd love one of my own.
I'm trying to keep it to a 2 hr trip max. Enough not to be daunted by at the end of long week.
As has been said keep it simple and reduce reasons why it wouldn't get used.
I keep trying but renting someone elses still makes more sense, even though I'd love one of my own.
DKL said:
A 9 hr trip would be enough to limit use to sometime never!
I'm trying to keep it to a 2 hr trip max. Enough not to be daunted by at the end of long week.
As has been said keep it simple and reduce reasons why it wouldn't get used.
I keep trying but renting someone elses still makes more sense, even though I'd love one of my own.
Tut... it takes me almost 2 hours to get to my local Supermarket. You need to holiday man up I'm trying to keep it to a 2 hr trip max. Enough not to be daunted by at the end of long week.
As has been said keep it simple and reduce reasons why it wouldn't get used.
I keep trying but renting someone elses still makes more sense, even though I'd love one of my own.
Saleen836 said:
My experiance of renting out my 2nd home (it's in another country but same problems) was always the extremely high utility bills as most people don't care as they have paid a fixed amount for their week/2 weeks
I thought about the utility bill issue after a recent stay in a holiday let and my partner being keen to get and let something herself. I reckon in this age of internet-enabled heating controls and smart power monitoring etc, there will be a tech solution, probably not to stop the excessive bills altogether, because you're always going to get some people that want the heating on roasting 24/7; but at least you could remotely (and possibly automatically) reset things back to a more sensible level at the end of their week, or turn it off/low for weeks when nobody is renting the place. And to an extent, remotely log in and change the heating etc for them if they call with some huge problem.I also got to thinking about internet provision in these places. All the holiday cottages we've rented in recent years have internet (in fact that's something we check before booking) but without fail it's always (to my IT mind) a half-assed implementation, usually just BT or Talk Talk and on all the default settings and SSID. Ripe for abuse by guests and neighbours who probably know the password as well. Can't be long, with the government's various crackdowns on internet freedoms, before they start to get funny about internet provision in holiday lets.
kev1974 said:
I thought about the utility bill issue..... some people that want the heating on roasting 24/7; but at least you could remotely (and possibly automatically) reset things back to a more sensible level at the end of their week, or turn it off/low for weeks when nobody is renting the place. And to an extent, remotely log in and change the heating etc for them if they call with some huge problem.
I thought about that, but as the cleaner usually goes in soon after guests leave, she turns it down. And I don't do Jan-Feb bookings, which would usually be short breaks at low rates anyway.kev1974 said:
Broadband stuff
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I have unlimited BT BB with a password - what would you suggest as an improvement, and why?.
kev1974 said:
I thought about the utility bill issue after a recent stay in a holiday let and my partner being keen to get and let something herself. I reckon in this age of internet-enabled heating controls and smart power monitoring etc, there will be a tech solution, probably not to stop the excessive bills altogether, because you're always going to get some people that want the heating on roasting 24/7; but at least you could remotely (and possibly automatically) reset things back to a more sensible level at the end of their week, or turn it off/low for weeks when nobody is renting the place. And to an extent, remotely log in and change the heating etc for them if they call with some huge problem.
I also got to thinking about internet provision in these places. All the holiday cottages we've rented in recent years have internet (in fact that's something we check before booking) but without fail it's always (to my IT mind) a half-assed implementation, usually just BT or Talk Talk and on all the default settings and SSID. Ripe for abuse by guests and neighbours who probably know the password as well. Can't be long, with the government's various crackdowns on internet freedoms, before they start to get funny about internet provision in holiday lets.
I went the tech route for keeping some track of utility bills.I also got to thinking about internet provision in these places. All the holiday cottages we've rented in recent years have internet (in fact that's something we check before booking) but without fail it's always (to my IT mind) a half-assed implementation, usually just BT or Talk Talk and on all the default settings and SSID. Ripe for abuse by guests and neighbours who probably know the password as well. Can't be long, with the government's various crackdowns on internet freedoms, before they start to get funny about internet provision in holiday lets.
Nest thermostat keeps an eye on heating. Log store with honesty box does a pretty good job of covering costs too. We leave a handful of kindling and a full basket (a net sack) of logs, and ask people to contribute if they want to use more. I'd say probably 7 or 8 out of 10 that DO use more actually pay for it - and those that don't... well, at least its kept the oil bill down for the duration of their stay!
I switched many of the lights to LED equiv (kitchen spots, fireplace inglenook spots, etc.) and even the porch and outside lights are LED. These are also LightwaveRF switched to come on before dusk, but go off again around midnight / 1am.
Also have a Watchman oil tank monitor so we can see when it is running low (don't need to rely on anyone to check)
internet - well, it is just the standard BT router but we changed the SSID and code. Unlimited internet package but disabled outgoing calls to most places and put a bakerlight wired phone so nobody would really want to spend hours on it anyway.
With our annex at home, I did actually put in a Ubiquiti AP with a guest SSID, but there's really no need for the cottage unless we have to do something specific for people to accept terms and conditions.
GetCarter said:
Tut... it takes me almost 2 hours to get to my local Supermarket. You need to holiday man up
2 hours!? Screw that. I don't mind if it takes 30 minutes to get to a supermarket (sometimes it does even in SW London 
) but 2 hours is ridiculous. What if you forgot something or they didn't have it in stock!GetCarter said:
Tut... it takes me almost 2 hours to get to my local Supermarket. You need to holiday man up
What you mean waitrose don't deliver? I suppose it's permanently dark and you have excellent flint napping techniques too ;-)(and yes I have seen GC build thread, just jealous really)
Sticks. said:
Indeed. I've had one used for hol lets for 7 years now. One of the first things I did was set up a duplicate tool box. Staying there yourself is the only way to find what you're missing re domestics, or what doesn't work the way you'd expected.
Getting trades people in to do things between lettings, or at short notice is a pain. And if a fridge dies, for example, it doesn't really matter how good the warranty is, you need a new one asap.
My first, very experienced agent, told me that there's an ideal price/size level for hol lets too. Too cheap and it's not respected, damage etc. But a 5 bed @ £2k+ a week, say, will attract groups who may also cause damage 'what the hell, we've paid to be here' attitude.
So my 2 bed is cheap enough for 2, big enough for 4. I get couples, pairs of couples, families, two friends. Timetex is about right with the overheads, so margins aren't what you'd think from looking at the gross weekly rental.
But it's rewarding when someone comes all the way from Australia to my modest place. When they come back the next year, more so.
Those numbers seem about right. The sweet spot in the Cotswolds is 3/4 beds. 2 beds also rent very easily but you tend to find the premium agencies in the last few years have not wanted them. For the agents they cost the same to manage but the income is too small. Getting trades people in to do things between lettings, or at short notice is a pain. And if a fridge dies, for example, it doesn't really matter how good the warranty is, you need a new one asap.
My first, very experienced agent, told me that there's an ideal price/size level for hol lets too. Too cheap and it's not respected, damage etc. But a 5 bed @ £2k+ a week, say, will attract groups who may also cause damage 'what the hell, we've paid to be here' attitude.
So my 2 bed is cheap enough for 2, big enough for 4. I get couples, pairs of couples, families, two friends. Timetex is about right with the overheads, so margins aren't what you'd think from looking at the gross weekly rental.
But it's rewarding when someone comes all the way from Australia to my modest place. When they come back the next year, more so.
The big problem I got when I decided I was going to buy back in was that I worked out we wanted a 4 bed traditional stone cottage in a nice village, with amenities, on the London side of the Cotswolds. Easy. But every single property in that zone was being hoovered up over night and at premiums by pensioners who had extracted cash from their pensions. At one point there almost wasn't any point in driving out to look at a property as someone would have made an offer over asking.
The massive properties tend to be old farm houses and the owners live next door so team behaviour of the guests anecdotally appears to be well regulated. Plus, the group's tend to be ex university or ex public school, young professionals from London and so easily cough up for any damages because A They have the money. B They aren't going to argue with a farmer. C It can damage their career these days.
brrapp said:
I'm the opposite of most people on here. Currently live in an isolated country property, nearest neighbour is 2 miles away, nearest town/pub/ shop about 12 miles.
I'm looking for a small flat in Edinburgh or Newcastle as my holiday home, just need somewhere so that we can have the occasional night out or shopping trip without having to think about getting home again.
Likewise. Something that I have learned since moving out to live where we had a holiday home is that while I always knew I was a Londoner what I didn't know is that I am simply not a Townie. We've been going to Oxford, Cheltenham and the other local urban centres for nights out and they are seriously boring. Full of middle aged white couple pretending to be pensioners. No mix of ages at venues and just generally all very 'village'. I'm looking for a small flat in Edinburgh or Newcastle as my holiday home, just need somewhere so that we can have the occasional night out or shopping trip without having to think about getting home again.
It's all lovely and all very civilised. The brawling and vomiting at the bottom of the high streets is all very English and civilised and the diners at the top of the high street are all very civilised. There is nothing wrong with it but to someone who has always lived in a global city centre it feels like you're paying a lot of money to eat and drink in an old people's home.
But it has brought home that I can live in a village and I can live in a global city but I can't stand towns and suburbia. I like the two extremes.
Long story short, I'm going to buy a two bed flat in Marylebone for the exact same reason as you that it's just easier for enjoying the company of a million economic migrants all babbling away about a million different topics and all interesting to talk to and all of different ages and not one of them telling you about their sciatica. But given the cost of that type of property then I suspect the plan would be to holiday let it during the week as a 1 bed to help cover the running costs.
The OH and I are considering a bolt hole for us and the 4 dogs up in the Cairngorms having spent a couple of weeks on holiday there in January. We stayed in Kinguissie and travelled about. Does anyone have any local knowledge / recommendations of where to look for properties, areas to go for / avoid? Out thinking is to use it a few times a year and rent it out as well. Thinking along the lines of a 2 bed cottage something like that.
48k said:
The OH and I are considering a bolt hole for us and the 4 dogs up in the Cairngorms having spent a couple of weeks on holiday there in January. We stayed in Kinguissie and travelled about. Does anyone have any local knowledge / recommendations of where to look for properties, areas to go for / avoid? Out thinking is to use it a few times a year and rent it out as well. Thinking along the lines of a 2 bed cottage something like that.
Gets blimmin cold there... check out the west coast GetCarter said:
48k said:
The OH and I are considering a bolt hole for us and the 4 dogs up in the Cairngorms having spent a couple of weeks on holiday there in January. We stayed in Kinguissie and travelled about. Does anyone have any local knowledge / recommendations of where to look for properties, areas to go for / avoid? Out thinking is to use it a few times a year and rent it out as well. Thinking along the lines of a 2 bed cottage something like that.
Gets blimmin cold there... check out the west coast I'd sooner be cold than wet
TheJimi said:
GetCarter said:
48k said:
The OH and I are considering a bolt hole for us and the 4 dogs up in the Cairngorms having spent a couple of weeks on holiday there in January. We stayed in Kinguissie and travelled about. Does anyone have any local knowledge / recommendations of where to look for properties, areas to go for / avoid? Out thinking is to use it a few times a year and rent it out as well. Thinking along the lines of a 2 bed cottage something like that.
Gets blimmin cold there... check out the west coast I'd sooner be cold than wet
monkfish1 said:
GetCarter said:
Gets blimmin cold there... check out the west coast
Hardly warm there either though! Much prettier though.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff